


burn you right up

by skittykitty



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Reverse Falls (Gravity Falls), Angst and Humor, Child Neglect, Childhood Trauma, Gen, Growing Up, Heavy Angst, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Implied/Referenced Violence, Its funny I swear, Magic, Magical Realism, Obsessive Behavior, Possessive Behavior, Reverse Bill Cipher, Reverse Dipper Pines, Reverse Mabel Pines, Reverse Pines, Unhealthy Relationships, not sexual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:29:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29531295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skittykitty/pseuds/skittykitty
Summary: In their youth, Dipper and Mabel only have one another to depend on. When they are orphaned and sent to Gravity Falls at the age of nine, what are they to do but to adapt to the cruelty the world has shown them?
Relationships: Bill Cipher & Dipper Pines, Dipper Pines & Mabel Pines
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	burn you right up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Child_OTKW](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Child_OTKW/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Broken and Lost](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8713117) by [Child_OTKW](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Child_OTKW/pseuds/Child_OTKW). 



> Happy birthday, Jordan!! I had a lot of fun writing this and hope you enjoy even if you don’t like your own. Its payback bitch
> 
> Thank you so much [Cultivation](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cultivation/pseuds/Cultivation) for betaing this!!

Elementary school was a time of peace. A time to learn to be separate from your parents, and maybe even learn math if you were lucky. Dipper learned everything he possibly could with a desperate passion.

Mabel never cared about her grades, didn’t care about their parents, and didn’t care for others. She would always tell him to simply “stop trying” and have fun with her.  _ But it’s not that simple,  _ he would say.  _ I’m nothing like you, _ he would think, when finally alone. 

And maybe he would never be anything like her.

Maybe, someday he could be someone she could look up to — like he looked up to her. He could be her Little Dipper, guiding her to bigger and better places.

* * *

Their parents were reserved and quiet but always made time to congratulate Dipper when his grades came in. It was one day of the year guaranteed with them.

It was a guaranteed disappointment. A guaranteed day of Mabel longingly staring after him, begging for her twin back. It was a day of being told exactly how he would never be able to measure up to their standards.

_ (It was a night of crying on his twin’s shoulder _ _ — of _ _ hushed declarations of love in the dead of night.) _

* * *

Sometimes during recess, he would wander away from the other kids. They didn’t bother him much, but it was easier to get away from all their chatter occasionally. The teachers didn’t notice him leaving the playground but neither did anyone else. Even his own twin didn’t notice him leaving. 

Maybe he was good at escaping.

_ (Maybe no one cared.) _

During one of his escapades, he happened upon an injured bird. Its wing was broken beyond repair, keeping it grounded… its potential robbed.

_ Maybe I can help it,  _ he thought, already reaching out to place the bird into his palms. It was unnaturally docile, allowing him to with ease. He admired the bird’s bright blue wings and red chest. 

It was beautiful, truly.

It whimpered when he accidentally added pressure to the broken wing, reminding him of what he should be doing. He could admire its beauty later.

_I want to help this bird,_ he thought. Dipper stood up, beginning to head back to the school. Maybe his sister would be missing him by now. But… the school would take the bird. They wouldn’t let him _help._

In a mixture of desperate emotions and thoughts, the bird disappeared from his hands.

One moment, the weight of the tiny bird was in his hands, and — in the next — it was gone.

_ I want the bird back,  _ he pleaded, glancing at the grass surrounding him. Within seconds of his plea, the bird was back in his hands. It looked disoriented but not any worse for the wear.

_ Disappear. _

_ Come back. _

When he heard the teachers calling for him, he hid the bird and ran back to tell his twin.

* * *

Once Mabel found out about his magic, she made sure she was always present when he practiced. She desperately recreated everything he did, to no effect. 

Sometimes, he contemplated faking tricks for her, just to get rid of that devastated look in her eyes. But, within seconds, it always faded — replaced with determination.

He didn’t need to worry about her.

_ (They may have once been the same, but now... they were night and day. Mabel _ _ — _ _ the popular girl _ _ — _ _ and her brother Dipper... the smart kid who knew too much.) _

For a year, they practiced tricks in secret before Mabel got bored of it.

“Do you want to try your disappearing trick on something bigger?”

* * *

When they were in the middle of lunch one day, he realized what had been happening under his nose.

Mabel had been introducing him one-by-one to a collection of kids older than them. He didn’t care much for any of her friends, but she seemed to be having fun so he humored her. There were strong eighth graders and a fine sprinkling of the popular cut-throat girls in her friend group.

With a chuckle, he looked around at the kids at their table. They had their heads down, eating their food.

Dipper smiled. “Sister dearest, have you made yourself the apex predator of our grade?”

With some degree of confusion at the phrasing, she nodded in satisfaction. “The whole school, actually.”

“How nice,” he congratulated her, going back to studying his notes.

* * *

Life continued like that for the next two years, carrying on to their final year of middle school. 

Eighth grade didn’t really get much harder than other grades; it was easy to keep his grades high. On the other hand, he was dared by Mabel to try and get “buddy-buddy” with every staff member of the school.

So far, he had managed to get close to all of the lunch staff, most of the higher-ups, the nurse, and his own teachers.

All that was left were teachers he hadn’t personally had in class and the eighth-grade teachers. 

It was simple. All he had to do was find their favorite kind of food (usually by asking his sister to request a student in that class ask for him), make it, then pretend he was giving it to a bunch of teachers. Of course, for the alibi, he would give a few slices to the other teachers, but Mabel and Dipper would always have at least some of it left at home for their own consumption.

Honestly, it was almost exhilarating playing this game. Usually, the student was given a lot of doubt and had to force the question. (And most students didn’t want to force the question.) So… some threats were involved.

It was an easy solution to a fun game.

The game was usually over in less than a week.

The eighth-grade teachers took two months to convince. Considering one teacher loved the food the others hated, it was much harder than it needed to be.

He was known as the kind, shy boy who could cook... by the teachers.

By the students, he was known as “Mabel’s Muscle”.

* * *

It was a year after her original question that he finally began to test his powers on a…  _ larger _ audience.

Supposedly, there was going to be a boy who had been harassing Mabel meeting him outside the school’s playground. It was a Saturday, so he was already annoyed at being there. But, at least, Mabel was waiting a block away making sure nothing terrible happened.

Within a few minutes, the kid showed up (having walked from a while away). Dipper sighed, adjusting his hair. It was a windy day; his hair couldn’t really be fixed.

Mabel had made it so  _ pretty _ beforehand.  _ Dipper, you have to look beautiful for your first fistfight,  _ she had told him. And— well — the other guy was obviously under that impression as well.

Mabel had straightened and curled his hair, purposely pushing it away from his birthmark.  _ It’s an amazing part of you, Dipper!  _ She always insisted.  _ Can you just do it today… for me? _

And he always gave in to those words. 

Once a day, every day, she made his hair. 

Hopefully, this idiot wouldn’t mess up her hard work. 

“Hey, idiot!” Dipper rolled his eyes at the other. “You ready or what?”

Dipper sighed mockingly, “I’ve been ready for the past fifteen minutes I stood here waiting for you.”

And, with that, the first punch flew. 

One of the first things he had found through testing with Mabel was that he needed to be touching what he wanted to disappear. 

With his substantially lankier body, Dipper barely managed to dodge the first punch but couldn’t get out of the way of the second heading for his stomach.

Gasping at the pain, he balled his hands into fists. With a grin, he began throwing punches back. 

_ Go for the neck,  _ Mabel’s voice echoed in his head.

After a hard punch to his shoulder, he finally managed to get a hand around the other’s neck. His hand quickly found the bump signaling he should  _ squeeze. _

His opponent gasped, one hand clawing at Dipper’s hand while the other readied to hit him.  _ That wouldn’t do. _

_ Disappear. _

For a moment, he was swallowed by his euphoria. He could make full  _ people  _ disappear.

He was maybe the strongest person in the world.

And then, he realized he couldn’t breathe. His chest felt full enough to burst.

Someone was screaming— or was that just the static in his ears? He was breathing— Dipper could feel the inhale and exhale… but it wasn’t  _ doing anything.  _ His breath wasn’t coming back— and, oh  _ fuck— everything hurt. _

His hips, his feet — God, even his  _ pinky finger  _ hurt.

How was this even possible?

What had he done wrong?

Someone — someone was shaking him. Blurry eyes stared into dark brown, so much like his own.

“Dipper!” His twin’s voice screamed. “Release! Let go! Uh, what was it?! Reappear!  _ Come back!” _

What little breath he had was ripped out, as his opponent reappeared on the ground beside him. He gasped as Mabel grabbed him, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as she walked.

“Never do that again.” She refused to look at him, to see the look of pain on his face. To see the pain she had asked him to go through.

Dipper laid his head against her shoulder as they walked. “Okay.”

* * *

He kept his promise. Of course, if Mabel had ever found out about him breaking it, she would have broken  _ him,  _ so it wasn’t ever an option.

Even if he never found out why his disappearing limit was a human, life continued.

Days passed, Dipper recovered, and they went straight back to testing. He now kept a bird they had caught forever in his “box” of space. (That was his working theory, he had a space to fill and a human was too big so it broke him.) 

Their parents came back for their annual visit, showering Dipper in attention. As always, Mabel was hidden from their sight, as if she didn’t matter. As if she wasn’t the only thing keeping him sane.

He smiled, and talked about his classes, about how easily he would be able to move up a grade. (He didn’t want to abandon Mabel, but they loved the idea.) 

It was almost too easy making them see someone who had never existed in the first place.

* * *

The days that passed were some of the oddest ones he had lived through.

Mabel was missing when he went to bed. He waited for an hour, but she never showed up. She probably snuck out to hang out with one of her friends.

When he woke up, it was still night and Mabel was laying beside him. He turned, seeing exhaustion on his twin’s face.

“Shush,” she whispered. “Not now. I’m tired.” Mabel tucked into bed beside him, nodding off in seconds.

A few minutes passed before he fell asleep alongside her.

* * *

Two weeks later, their parents were murdered on their way home from work. 

It was a high-school freshman who had been convicted, easily admitting to the crime. It was easy to process that a high-schooler had killed someone but… so much harder to understand that his parents were  _ gone. _

They normally weren’t around, so it didn’t impact much, really. Mabel was his real family, but the authorities couldn’t see that, could they?

They were sent to Gravity Falls within the week.

_ (He never noticed how numb Mabel looked at the funeral, compared to his own sobs.) _

* * *

Stan Pines was a terrible human. 

This was natural, of course, since most adults were the same —  the same cruel, controlling faces implanted on different bodies. But Stan was worse than most. After the almost twenty-four-hour bus ride, they arrived at their Great Uncle’s magic shop. 

It was a place of spectacle, with a large stage and vaulted ceilings. Even with empty seats, the room felt crowded as if a thousand eyes were watching and dissecting his every move.

Shuddering, he listened as Stan explained what he did and how they would be helping.

“You two weren’t planned,” the old man mumbled. “But I’ll figure it out. For now, you could work the gift shop and try to get the people who live here to like you.” He sighed, dragging a hand over his face. “God, just some  _ kids  _ I’m gonna be accused of child labor.”

* * *

The gift shop was easy, (besides when they needed to reach higher shelves) but people had always been a challenge for him. Mabel had agreed to man the register for their first day, while Dipper stocked the shelves and talked to customers.

“Hello, sir!” His lips began to hurt quickly at his forced smile. “How can I help you?”

Dipper tried to start a conversation with everyone who came in by inquiring on why they were here, if they had enjoyed the show, and how their day had gone. This got him a surprising amount of affection from the customers, with their softening eyes and loose lips.

When they eventually swapped jobs, he watched Mabel try to charm adults as she had once charmed kids their age. It seemed she was a one-trick-pony.

_ (She would adapt. He knew she would.) _

Eventually, months passed and they got used to their new life. The two of them woke at seven in the morning, ate breakfast, began setting up the shop, opened at nine, and then closed at seven at night. (Apparently, it had stayed open later before they came, but Stan had cut it down for their sakes.)

They were looking older every day, considering both were desperate for respect from adults.

But Mabel wanted a different sort of power first.

_ Magic. _

“Dipper, I found this really cool book! It says there are ways I could get magic like you!”

* * *

Mabel spent weeks desperately searching for ways, from magical crystals to fairies.

The crystals weren’t “real” magic, as Dipper had to fill it with some of his own for Mabel to use. Fairies, however, were a very viable option. If one could save a fairy then they would be blessed with magic.

_ (In invisible ink a warning laid unread as a little girl ran to her doom.) _

After a week of pleading, Mabel managed to get a day off to go on her adventure. Unfortunately, Dipper and some new hire had to take over for her. 

“Who are you?” Dipper stared at the teenager, his straight black hair swaying as he walked to the register. His green plaid under a white vest was an interesting look, but he wondered if Stan just let his workers wear whatever they wanted.

“Robbie.” He looked down at Dipper, softening instantly.  _ Once again,  _ he thought.  _ The kid charm isn’t working in my favor.  _ “You’re the boss’s nephew or something?”

“Yeah,” Dipper stared at the clock, waiting for Stan to be ready to start tours. “My twin Mabel is out today, though.”

“Oh? Did something happen to her?”

He shook his head, “She’s getting a free day.”

Robbie took the non-answer as what it was, and the two of them spent the workday in relative silence.

* * *

“Dipper,” her voice was strained as she leaned against the wall. “The plan didn’t work, and they were pissed.”

She slipped down to the ground, curling her knees close to her chest. It was an old habit, one she hadn’t indulged in for years. Dipper slid down beside her, holding her beside him.

“What happened?” She shuddered, pressing her face to his neck. As he held her, she began to gasp and tears dripped down her face. 

For a few minutes, they laid there, holding onto one another in the wake of Mabel’s pain. “They —  they didn’t bless me,” she whispered, staring at the other side of the room. “They cursed me.”

Dipper hummed, lifting a hand to play with her hair. “Have you noticed anything?” There was a long pause, which meant she was about to lie to him.

“No.”

He smiled, relaxing next to her. “Alright, tell me if you do find any.” 

Peace was fragile, so they hoarded the little respite they could find in the other.

* * *

In a few days, Mabel regained her spark and was back to hunting for a way to get her own magic.

They still worked nearly every day for Stan, but they planned and plotted at night. People had started to come just for them so, if they could impress bystanders enough, they would be able to take Stan’s place as the showrunner.

They would be in control.

(For the first time in his life.)

Dipper grinned looking over at his sister, readying a trap for Stan.

* * *

The public was told that Stan had slipped on some ice on the steps outside and broken his legs. 

On some level, that was true. He  _ had  _ slipped, and he had broken his legs. It just so happened he was also beaten up by two thirteen-year-olds wielding hammers.

But none of them would ever tell anyone that. They had gotten the jump on Stan, which had earned his respect one way or another. For better or worse, they would be running the stage for the next few months.

* * *

Their first performance was a mess. Stan was a master at manipulating the audience, making them believe in his tricks. Meanwhile, they were just two thirteen-year-olds trying to do the same thing.

They didn’t have any of Stan’s dramatic clothes or prepared tricks. So... it was mostly an introduction to the normal audience.

Stan was infinitely better than them at this, but that would change soon enough.

* * *

“Dipper, tomorrow we should use your magic,” his sister demanded. Her hands clutched his shoulders, keeping him close to her. “No, don’t instantly deny it”  —  she breathed  —  “you… I can’t use magic, Dipper. Not yet, at least. And we need to be able to replace Stan, so… please, do it for me?”

He relented with a sigh, glancing away from her. “Fine, fine. You’ll need to help me collect some flowers and birds, though.”

Mabel chuckled, letting go of his shoulders. “Any other demands, brother dearest?” 

“You need to do my hair, like old times,” they shared a small smile as they remembered old times before running to begin preparations.

* * *

“Welcome one and all!” He called out, using magic to make his voice boom through the room. Mabel stood beside him, dressed in a matching black costume. 

She walked forward and took over. “To the Tent of Telepathy, tonight do we have a show for you!” At her cue he snapped open his palm, creating a flash of light to momentarily blind the audience. As they groaned, Mabel revealed one of Stan’s props. 

A large box stood beside them, the holes built into it invisible to the audience. It was a classic trick, but people loved it either way.

“Would anyone like to volunteer while my partner goes and brings the swords?” Mabel asked the audience, eventually picking a random teenager. The swords were real, surprisingly. Maybe Stan was paranoid someone would attack him? 

But, either way, Dipper returned with the swords in tow. His gloved hands caressed the blades with fascination. These could seriously hurt someone.

_ But... I wouldn’t do that,  _ he told himself.  _ I’m a good person.  _

“Brother, would you be a dear and situate our friend in the box?” He nodded, bringing the teenager to the box and enclosing them inside. 

Dipper handed the first of the swords to her without any fuss, watching her show the sword off to the audience before preparing to plunge it in.

“Avoid the sword,” Dipper muttered. “Left side, straight.” The teenager gasped, hopefully preparing to dodge. 

When Mabel slowly pushed in the sword, there was silence until she asked for the second one.

It continued like that up until the time to remove them. Luckily, for their first time, every sword came out spotless. After every removal Mabel twirled around, showing off like a good performer.

When they finally let the teenager out, they looked at Dipper with a look of desperate confusion.  _ A look of hope? No—  _ He pondered it for a moment,  _ they looked disappointed. _

_ Interesting,  _ he watched as the teenager walked back to their seat. Hopefully, he would be able to meet them again.

After a few more “spectacles”, they ended the show with a bang. Dipper took the front stage as he placed a too-large cape around his shoulders. 

With a boisterous turn, he began to release birds, one by one, from his cape. When he released all of them, he stopped to stare at the amazed crowd.

Dipper smirked with one final trick. He held his hand out; a bundle of flowers appeared in his palm. He tossed out the bundle with one final thought.

_ Multiply. _

In mid-air, there were suddenly dozens of bundles. 

The crowd screamed in delight as the curtains closed. Once the sound died off, Mabel turned to him with a grin. 

“That was amazing, Dipper!” She hugged him tightly, “Your magic… it’s amazing.” Mabel quickly looked back up, “Oh! Would it be possible for you to take over for a day?”

Dipper hummed, tilting his head with a grin. “Alright, just be careful with whatever you’re doing. For me.”

Mabel smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Of course.”

* * *

When she came back, dirt covering her clothes and a grin on her face, she had magic. 

She couldn’t do everything he could, but they were both excited to be able to share everything once more.

(Tomorrow she would tell him of the demon she had summoned, but for one day she would linger in the euphoria of a joy she would never truly deserve.)

* * *

As months passed, things began to shift around them.

Stan’s legs healed— not quite right, of course—, leading to a fight between them on who was the better stage magician. Luckily, with the showiness of both of their magic, they managed to beat out Stan. 

By the time they were sixteen, they basically ran the Tent of Telepathy. Soos listened to them, Robbie did his job without complaining, and Stan acted as if he was their manager. The demon she had summoned was a useful asset, making Mabel shine brighter than ever before.

She blinded everyone to his presence, to his own power.

It was only a matter of time until someone looked past her brilliance.

* * *

Will was staring at him. Mabel was trying to do some of his magic— teleportation— but wasn’t succeeding in the sorts of distances he could. And, still, the  _ source  _ of her magic didn’t seem to care about her troubles.

The demon just— just kept staring, even when it was obvious Dipper noticed. He didn't seem to care, up until Mabel noticed as well.

“Hey!” She marched up to Will, snarling. “You’re supposed to be  _ helping me, _ not staring at my brother!” And that was another thing. She had changed from a girl with a mask of connections and confidence (with softness inside her that only Dipper could see) to a point where even he couldn’t get through the mask.

Will didn’t matter right now; he was not at the heart of the matter.

(It didn’t  _ matter _ if Will was the most interesting thing to happen to them since his own magic appeared. The only thing that mattered was making sure his twin was happy.)

* * *

One night, after a big performance, the two of them sat in their changing room. Mabel still had makeup over her face but was resting on her vanity anyway. 

With a smile, Dipper watched her slowly get the energy to remove the rest. He laughed quietly at her struggle. “Do you want me to remove the rest?”

With a deep sigh, Mabel lifted herself up. She looked like hell had frozen over, but he smiled at her mess. Dipper would love her no matter what. She was the only family he had nowadays, he knew that in his heart. 

He rubbed a makeup wipe over her cheek, trying to bully away some of the more persistent blush before doing anything else. He worked in silence for a few minutes, having fully cleaned off her cheek using only ten wipes.

“I miss Mom and Dad,” he muttered, half to himself. Letting it hang in the air, he continued to remove the makeup from her opposite cheek. “They may have never been there… but they were family.”

She nodded, looking just past him with purposefully blank brown eyes. There was a hint of fear in the way she held herself as if she was waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under her. 

“But they were terrible to us, Dipper,” she muttered. “They ignored us constantly, forgot to feed us to the point we had to steal money from them. We had to become the apex predators of the school to have a chance at surviving.” She clenched her hands, staring at them with something like loathing. “If they were good parents, what were we?”

He sighed, wiping under her eye. “I never said they were  _ good _ parents, Mabel.” 

“You implied it.”

“You know that, even after everything, I love you more than I love their memories.” Her shoulders relaxed as she leaned towards him, not quite touching him. 

By the time he finished, they were both exhausted. But... at least Mabel was smiling again.

* * *

“I want to hurt Wendy Corduroy,” Mabel said like it was nothing. For a moment, Dipper stared at her, watching tiny dots of light blue in her eyes. They had appeared the more she used Will’s magic, but Dipper’s eyes had never changed.

“Why?” Wasn’t that the question of the day? Why would she ever want to hurt anyone? Did Wendy deserve it? 

When they were younger, she had more patience and was better at exacting her vengeance. The two of them worked to ruin bullies’ reputations, but they hadn’t done anything like it in a long time.

“I don’t like the way she looks at you,” she admitted. “She looks like she wants to take you from me… and I don’t like that.” 

Dipper sighed. “How badly do you want to hurt her?” He would have to hold her back from killing anyone... or, at least, hide the body alongside her.

“Nothing too bad. Just to teach her a lesson.”

He nodded, “Okay. I’ll help you.” Her cheer at his declaration made him feel a little better.

His eyes drifted to Will, floating in the corner with only his connection to Mabel keeping him from being unnoticeable. The demon, as always, stared at him with fascination— and some fear— in his eye.

* * *

Two days later, they had brought Wendy to the woods.

Two days later, Wendy learned her lesson.

Two days later, Mabel would say, “Brother dearest, would you like to teach her a lesson?”

In two days, he would see the look of absolute terror in someone’s eyes and  _ not care. _

* * *

Dipper was colder now; he couldn’t seem to scrounge up the energy to  _ care _ anymore. He put on a smile for the stage, only to return to their shared room as soon as he could.

His sister had given him a journal. It was plain, but he liked it. 

(Maybe she had remembered the little scrap of paper he had used as a kid to write about his magic.)

Either way, he smiled at her thoughtfulness. It only took a moment to think of what to write about.

> _ Will Cipher _
> 
> _ Mabel summoned him after our first show. He’s a coward, but it is obviously a mask.  _

For the rest of the day, he wrote down little things he had noticed about Will until Mabel came in looking for him.

* * *

“There are two new kids in town,” Mabel stated. They were applying makeup before the show, paying careful attention to their appearances. Mabel still had to straighten his hair, then do her own before they would be ready. “Pacifica Northwest and Gideon Gleeful.”

“Why should that matter to me?” 

Mabel shrugged, stilling as she applied her mascara. “They’re interesting, and they’re trying to investigate our magic.”

He scoffed, knowing at best they’d find out about Will. They couldn’t do anything to the two of them, not really. “Do you  _ want  _ to tell them?”

“No,” she sighed. “I’m just worried and… they might come to our show.” She turned to him with pleading eyes. 

They were almost icy-blue now, considering how much she relied on her magic. Maybe, someday, he would confront Will about the effects of his magic on his sister.

“Do you want to single them out or leave them alone?” 

Her eyes softened.  _ She likes one of them,  _ he realized with a smile. “I… I want to single out Gideon.”

Dipper nodded, “Alright, just tell me if he’s there.”

* * *

To his sister’s displeasure, Gideon wasn’t there that night. Nor was he there the next night... or the one after that.

In fact, Gideon wound up coming to one of their shows three weeks later. Mabel was ecstatic, showing off like never before and taking the stage.

She was magnificent.

Mabel dragged him with her after the show to meet Gideon and Pacifica.

* * *

“Did you like the show?” was, of course, the first thing out of Mabel’s mouth upon reaching the two. 

The two ignored her, staring at him instead. “I’m Gideon… Gleeful,” he began, reaching out his hand before the girl snatched it back to her side. “And this is Pacifica.”

Dipper looked at them with sharp eyes. He couldn’t… quite see what Mabel saw in Gideon. He was just some kid with white hair and blue eyes.  _ Kittens with blue eyes and a white coat are most often deaf,  _ randomly popped into his head before he could ignore it. 

“Alright.” He looked towards Mabel with a nod. “My name’s Dipper Pines, it’s nice to meet you.”

Pacifica stared at him, distrust emanating from her. She stood slightly in front of Gideon, trying to protect the other.

_ This is boring,  _ he realized. He… didn’t care if Pacifica snapped or not — if Mabel got Gideon on his own.

This was his sister's game, not his.

And he already had one of his own in mind.

Dipper left the conversation quickly after that, readying for the long game.

* * *

> _ Will is very skittish. He refuses to be around most people but will stay very close to me and Mabel. He seems to enjoy playing with people's emotions, which is probably why he sticks with me more. He likes to play with Mabel’s a lot, but oftentimes is just hurt by anything he does. _
> 
> _ I don’t hurt him often and I generally let him do whatever he wants. It’s interesting how he wants to be invisible to the world but still wants to play with anyone he meets. _

* * *

> _ He tried to play a trick on me today. It’s good for the game, but annoying in practice. He kept telling Mabel and I different plans for the day up until we had to confront another. _
> 
> _ Mabel, of course, tortured him for it. She’s been getting very violent lately, but only really taking it out on Will. And sometimes Gideon, now that I think about it. But neither are impacted too badly by it, so it should be fine for now. _

* * *

> _ The connection between Mabel and Will is growing weaker.  _
> 
> _ Their connection was always weak, but Will hasn’t been trying to keep it strong. He’s been avoiding Mabel for days. Instead, he’s staying around me most days. _
> 
> _ Will wants something from me. I’m just not sure what it is yet. _

* * *

He gave into temptation when he was playing with Mabel’s hair. They were having fun as he struggled to braid it all.

It was nice, one of the few nice moments they had experienced in recent times.

Up until he saw the connection between Mabel and Will, the weakest it had ever been. It was fraying, but their deal was for forever, so it couldn’t be weakening that precisely.

He needed to know what it was. So, he reached out. 

His fingers met a sharp string and, when he flinched, it stuck to him. Dipper messed around with it before tugging at the string.

With the rip echoing in his ears, he pretended nothing had happened and continued braiding his twin’s hair.

* * *

Later that day, he would realize his error.

Mabel had included him in the deal... he could  _ break  _ the deal.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! I hope you enjoyed!!


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